With 2021 on the horizon, new laws and updates to current laws are about to go into effect. We're putting together a list of what's new across Illinois.
More information will be added as it is catalogued.
Illinois
- Minimum Wage - The state's minimum wage is increasing from $10 to $11, as part of the multi-year plan to reach $15 by 2025.
- Address Confidentiality for Victims of Domestic Violence Act - This law gives victims and survivors of the multiple forms of domestic violence the ability to create a substitute address to be used in matter of public records, such as driver's licenses or state IDs, in place of their real location, to make it harder for perpetrators to locate them.
- Insulin Price Cap - This piece of legislation from the beginning of the year sets a cap on out-of-pocket insulin co-pays for state-regulated commerical healthcare plans. The cost is capped to $100 for a 30-day supply of insulin.
- Missing Persons Identification Act - An amendment to this law affects how DNA samples can be used in missing persons cases. Family members will be able to voluntarily submit DNA samples to aid in the case, which law enforcement must submit a nation registry and cannot use for any other purpose.
Although it has been in effect since August, a notable piece of legislation remaining relevant in 2020 is a bill regarding the assault and battery of retail workers who enforce COVID-19 safety guidelines. The legislation made the act a felony by classifying it as aggravated battery, which turns it into a felony with a prison sentence as potentially long as 10 years with an up-to $25,000 fine. A simple battery charge has a much shorter sentence of up to one year of prison and a fine that is several times smaller.
